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A threat to make bicyclists walk Big Four Bridge

Bicyclists have lost their designated lane on the Big Four Bridge because of bad manners, a Waterfront Development Corp. executive said Wednesday. "I was personally observing and getting reports of rude

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Bicyclists have lost their designated lane on the Big Four Bridge because of bad manners, a Waterfront Development Corp executive said Wednesday.

And if bicyclists and pedestrians can't get along, Waterfront vice president Mike Kimmel said "all options are on the table," including making bicyclists walk their bikes across the bridge, which links Kentucky to Indiana.

That's because pedestrians outnumber bicyclists, he said.

When asked why bike markers in the center lane were removed, he said it was because "I was personally observing and getting reports of rude behavior" by bicyclists. "I've personally been up there when I've heard a bicyclist shouting at kids. That's rude."

Threatening to kick bicyclists off their seats is just the latest example of conflict over increasing bike use in Louisville, encouraged in part by Mayor Greg Fischer and his growing network of bike lanes. It's also a far cry from the welcoming language waterfront officials used in 2008, when they seeking funds to complete the Big Four Bridge and arguing against a planned bicycle and pedestrian pathway on the new downtown Interstate-65 bridge that's under construction now.

Waterfront chief David Karem painted an idyllic and practical picture of that scenario in an op-ed piece in The Courier-Journal that year dealing with The Bridges Project funding:

A pedestrian/bicycle path on the new downtown bridge makes no sense when a much better option already

The Big Four would be especially welcoming for bicyclists and pedestrians with benches, park land and restrooms, he observed. exists. A few hundred feet away, construction is underway on Phase III of Louisville's Waterfront Park, which includes a dedicated pedestrian/bicycle pathway connecting the two states by way of the Big Four Bridge.

Dave Morse, a Bicycling for Louisville board member, acknowledged that managing bikes and pedestrians on the popular bridge is "a difficult situation, and human beings what we are, there will be no perfect solution."

He said he rings a bell when he rides across the bridge, to let people know he's coming.

But he also said he was disappointed by the corporation's action and Kimmel's comments.

Waterfront officials were willing to spend Bridges Project funding to complete their bridge, "promising that the Big 4 will be such a better bicycling experience," Morse said. "Then they turn around and cripple bicycling on the (Big Four) bridge."

"Seems legit," he added sarcastically.

He also said he's neither seen or heard anyone be rude to each other on the bridge.

At issue were a few markings on the bridge that identified a center lane for bikes.

The lane markings are an artistic feature of the bridge, identifying where rails once were. There were two such bike symbols, for example, on the Kentucky side of the bridge. Those symbols were recently scrubbed so they can barely be seen anymore.

For most of the bridge, however, the bike lane had no bike symbols, so pedestrians would often walk down the middle.

Even though waterfront officials had designated the lane for bikes, Kimmel said bicyclists were too zealous about using it.

"We have been intrigued by a profound sense of entitlement that a designated bike lane engenders," Kimmel scolded. "Some bicyclists are consumed by metering their energy-to-speed ratio and they have no patience for children, strollers, wheelchairs, or any other obstacle that might breach the lateral limits that divide bridge space for bicyclists and the rest of civilization."

The reality is there are a skaters, bicyclists, and runners up there. People need to take some care before randomly changing course. Right now, with the walkers literally choking off every other user group, there are not enough reminders of that fact.

Kimmel noted that construction associated with the bridge's lighting project will further cramp space.

"There will be many times and many places where it is simply impractical to isolate a bridge path for any specific user group," he said.

Still, his views echoed those of a recent letter-to-the-editor from Russell Pugh, published by The Courier-Journal:

On a recent Saturday evening my wife and I went to dinner in downtown Louisville then walked across the Big Four bridge to Indiana. The bridge was quite crowded with pedestrians both young and old. We along with many others enjoyed the bridge, except trying to avoid the cyclists who have been granted the middle lane of the bridge.

We were under the impression this was a pedestrian bridge, not a obstacle course. The cyclists need to go the way of the dogs and be restricted from the bridge.

It should be enough the mayor continues to take driving lanes away from the driving public to satisfy a few yuppies and their hobby.